New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-06

quirics in Stuckey's case 7"
"Ycs little" replied Mr.. George; but
am afraid nothing that is much use 70 us NJ
traitor of the deceased, with the MohuihehO
Assurance Company, in whose office the insurance
on Martin Stuckeys life had been effected
About a week after this was done Mr. Cappcr'
the manager of the Monument Assurance COM
PAW. was shown into the Office of Mr. George
George, the comIanys solicitor
present"
1T is not case Of suicide p
Judge for Yourself You remember that AT
the inquest the Rev. Alfred Stuckey stated that
he returned with his father from Klchmohd
about 81 and left quarter of an hour la'cr
in order to catch tie > :3J Metropolitan tram
to Kng's-cross."
Il do"
VERY we'll. Now | have asccrtaincd that Mr.
Alfred and the deceased took a carriage at
Richmond not long before =. M. but were Only
driven far as BaIncs, where. at tholr own
request. they were put down on the to" pam l
have found tic lyman. who says that he set
them down on the tow-path nearly op. oSitc
Chiswicl about 1880, and saw them walk away
eastward. We have also got hold OF an "ld
woman who saw them on the toWpath near
Iammcrsmith bridge hut whether below or above
she cannot state, walking in the direction Oh
Putncy She says it was within a few minutes
Of ) o'clock and just getting dusk. On that day,
October Is, the SUM- YOU will find. set at zoo
Now it is not impossible, of course. mat AIieu
Stuclu.y may have been on the tow-path Walking
toward Putncy about o'clock. ard yet nave
aitcrward caught the 5:35 train; bat TO my
mind this evidence throws grave doubt on MS
story Remembers We have only Alfred StuckcH
wcrd for it that the deceased ever went home
at all On the other hand there Is strong
Presumption that some time alter q crock 'i'"'
night lac found his way into the river. having
bCcn according TO the medical test 'monN. khochcd
on the head first, presumably by some one VINO
had a motive for doing 50, which stranger 10
him would not have.
You think hc was murdered" >"
II form no theory at present: bat ! think
tint Mo.ar. Aliti and EphIaim S'u 'cN lci"cch
them know more abont their father 5 Hi>'ppc,i
ancc than they have yet disclosed, and hat the
evidence We now have oilers N"ry CONVENIENT
means of squeezing the truth out OF them
Then what do you adViSc?'
"Iut all our information in the hands Of the
police. We shall ncccr IrOvc suicide. ana II IL
I've a ease of murder that does not help IN"
office 1t is, therefore, not worth the comi"hN
while 10 spend money on further inquiries. v"
the other hand. if there bc any fraud in the case
tLc truth will very soon come out when one or
other of these gentlemen is arrested on chhTE'
Of murder which | expect we shall See before
another week is OVER
In This last conjecture Mr.. George GcorG"
was not mistalicn-hc very seldom was about
such matters. Within four or lINc DAYS from 'l'
when lac fOrNalltu his lUl'iil 'h - ''''
land Yard. the Rev. Alfred Stucicy was in
custody, charged with numbering his father.
When he appeared before the magistrate the
facts detailed by Mr.. George were supplemented
hv a piece Of evidence Of the most damnins
character. \ tramp named lligg>. was calI'I'
and ne de- oScd to having seen the u'''"S'','
whom he knew we'll 10y sight. in company with
another man on the tow path between Hammer
smith AMI PutncN some time after dark; 10 having
overheard something like an alteration, Tie "id
man apparently refusing to 20 on. ana the young
one threatening To chuck him into the river II
he were troublesome; and, finally 10 having
heard loud cries after he had Passed. llieES did
not attempt to identify tie prisoner, but me
was sure that the man with the deceased was III
black coat. and closely rc>cnbicd uc prisoner
in height and figure With regard 10 the Tine
he was uncertain; but il clear from his
statements that il must lave been Nlthn nN'
minutes on either side Of quarter ~ siN. Inns
left time rs the prosecution showed. Tor Tue
prisoner To catch "A train at Putnry Hid-' ny
which lac could have reached II lancra, so as
TO travel 10y the 7:l0 down train from i'a'
station ON this evidence tho MAGISTRATE with
out hesitation committed The prisoner for trial
Only one other piece Of evidence WAS addu'ci
when the trial came OF nj Oh i}aiI'v. bat u
had an important bearing On the issue. II
appeared that when h. had loit Tie University
four or five years previously, the prisoner was
very much in debt. that he had lately been
threatened with summary proceedings ly some
Of his OX ford creditors; and that on the day OF
his arrival in town he Lad been To IN adN'r
tis:n. money lender 10 cnlcafor to rai>c money
On his small expectations from his father. Ia tins
he had been unsuccessful Here, then, as counsel
for the Crown did not fail to point ont at the
trial, was a sufficient explanation of the motive
for the diaholical act For the defence every
attempt possible was made 10 prove an albl'
but none Of the witnesses who thought that they
had seen the prisoner elsewhere we're positive
abo tI,o ifnp nd q
fact that the prisoner had travelled 10 and lett
St Iancras Station on that night. their evidence
came TO nothing. The judge who. unfortunately
for Alfred Stuckcy, happened TO have rcputa-
ton for hanging, Of which he was not "A little
proud, put it 10 the jury that their verdict must
practically depend upon the weight they attached
to Iiegs's evidence, which not only consistent
with all the evidence as TO the prisoner previous
movements. but strongly corroboratcd 10y the
witncsss identification Of the deceased. There
could in fact, said his lorlship be
no reasonable doubt that iIiggs had
seen the deceased the towpath in company
with some man, who was threatening him with
violence The only question was whether that
man the prisoner, in whose com! any III"
deceased was proved 70 have been mp to half an
hour previously or somebody else whom no
attempt had been made 10 identify, and who had
no conceivable motive for the crime. The jury
naturally preferred the former alternative, aud
returned a verdict Of Guilty"
Mr.. and Mrs. Wafics much pleased with
their ledger. Mr.. Bib, though they felt rather
sorry for the old gentleman too. II was very
rad TO see him sitting in his room all day looking
at the pictures or gazing out of the window with
that blank expression on his face. But on the
other hand, young Mr.. Bib paid Mrs. Walllcs an
extra half guinea per week for keeping an eye
on the old gentleman. and had also paid several
weeks rent in advance, which is Y no means
the usual practice Of dodgers in the noighborhood
Of Remington Park where Mr. and Mrs. Walcs
resided. Moreover, so far from requiring extra
attention, Mr.. Bib gave trouble at all. but did
whatever he was told 10 do. and would never
even have asked for his meals il they had not been
forthcoming. That why Mr.. aud Mrs. Wanes
were so pleased with their ledger.
II therefore gave Mrs Wanlcs. as she subsc-